If you were raised as a Jehovah's Witness are you always a Witness?

Answer 1

One is not born as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, even if one or both parents are actively involved in this religion. Every person must (by choice) study The Bible and make a PERSONAL dedication to do God's will and serve him forever. We consider this a very serious step in one's spiritual life.

Then, to remain a dedicated, active witness of Jehovah, one must continue to study, pray, attend meetings, and share his or her faith with others. This is not always easy to do, as Satan does not like to see someone so zealous in learning and teaching Bible truths, and he will do all he can to sway any of us away from the faith.

On the other hand, if one no longer wishes to remain faithful to the dedication which was previously made, a person can leave the organization. Someone who commits a serious sin (and is not repentant) will be disfellowshipped, just as is commanded in the Bible. Or, one can choose to disassociate oneself. In both of these cases, this person is then no longer recognized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and in both cases the person will be thenceforth be shunned.

According to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life ''Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of any religious tradition. Only 37% of all those who say they were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses still identify themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses.''. See the 'related link' below for the full article.